Alzheimer’s Disease: What To Expect After Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease is a fairly common progressive memory disorder and is one of the most common causes of dementia. The onset of this condition can disrupt an individual’s way of life, thereby affecting even the people around them.

When a loved one is diagnosed with it, there are quite a number of things that will go rapidly through your head. The multitude of considerations to think of can be overwhelming, which is why the proper setting of expectations is necessary to avoid stress.

In order to help guide you through such a confusing time, here are several things to expect after a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. With a proper expectation setting, you can best formulate a way to best care for your Alzheimer’s patient.

The Cost

One of the biggest factors to jump into your head would be the overall cost of having such a condition. The primary expenses you’ll be faced with would be the medicine, the regular check-ups, and the general security and safety improvements you’ll have to apply to your home. 

Apart from the basic considerations, you will also have to consider taking on the services of an elder law attorney. Through them, you can have a Durable Power of Attorney granted, which will allow your patient to legalize someone to handle all their affairs if they should become incapacitated. 

For more severe cases, you might even have to consider more long-term memory care services, thereby incurring even more fixed monthly costs. The average costs of Alzheimer’s treatments would be upward of $20,000 per annum, dependent of course on your personal choices on the matter.

To help you navigate through this challenging transition, the services of a financial planner or adviser will come in handy. This way, you can ensure that you can afford the best services for your loved one’s care.

The Medicine

The start of Alzheimer’s will be through medicine—not through cure, but through maintenance. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for it, which is why the best approach is early detection and regular maintenance. Through medication, the deterioration of the patient’s brain can be slowed, fighting the episodes that come with the condition.

There are four medicines known to be associated with Alzheimer’s care: Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, and Namenda. The first three are quite similar to each other, which is why only one of these is prescribed at a time. The fourth, however, is usually for more serious cases and can be used in conjunction with one of the first three.

The Fight

As hopeless as it sounds, Alzheimer’s can be fought to maintain as much normalcy as possible with an individual’s life. Regular physical and mental activities are recommended to keep healthy, these don’t only keep the body healthy, but also the mind. Puzzles, games, and regular social interaction can help stimulate the mind, helping it keep sharp.

Certain diets can also help the patient fight memory loss. Food rich in nutrients and

Antioxidants, as well as those with B complex vitamins—such as folic acid—can help a great deal.

The Caretaker

For more severe cases, however, home treatment can no longer be considered optimal for the patient. As such, the help of a memory care service or an in-house caregiver can provide the much-needed environment of security and care for your loved one.

If you’re unsure of what options you have in caring for your relative with Alzheimer’s, contact us now and speak to an Alzheimer’s consultant in Houston. We offer consultancy and memory care services that suit all your needs.